Insulation industry news from Global Insulation

UAE: Huntsman Corporation has opened its new polyurethanes systems house at the Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone (JAFZA) in Dubai. The unit comprises a production area with manufacturing equipment plus blenders, reactors, filling stations, control room, offices and quality control laboratories. It will manufacture polyurethane foams for construction, insulation, appliances, bedding and furniture applications. It will also produce systems for the footwear industry; and prepolymers for coatings, adhesives, sealants and elastomers applications.

The site will also serve as the regional base for Huntsman's Demilec spray polyurethane foam (SPF) business. The new systems house is equipped with a dedicated spray foam application and training centre and will provide customers in the region with local technical and training assistance, fully supported by the global Demilec organisation.

"This investment is the latest step in the expansion of our worldwide systems house capabilities, which underpin our downstream growth strategy. Constructing the new systems house at JAFZA brings us closer to our customers and gives us everything we need to expand our business in the Middle East and North Africa, including manufacturing competitiveness, infrastructure links and speed of response," said Tony Hankins, President of Huntsman's Polyurethanes division.

Huntsman's other downstream businesses in the Middle East include Huntsman EMA, a systems house in Turkey, and Huntsman Arab Polyols Company in Saudi Arabia, a joint venture with the BCI Group of Companies, in which Huntsman is the majority shareholder.